Japanese fighter jets were scrambled after Russian aircraft circled the island nation for the first time in five years, the Japanese Defense Ministry announced on Friday. Russian Tu-142 reconnaissance planes flew near the southern Okinawa region on Thursday, then traveled north to Hokkaido over the Pacific Ocean.
Although the Russian planes did not enter Japanese airspace, they flew over a disputed territory between Tokyo and Moscow. This incident marks the first time since 2019 that Russian military aircraft have approached Japan, with the previous instance involving bombers that entered Japanese airspace.
Additionally, Russian and Chinese warships recently began joint drills in the Sea of Japan as part of a major naval exercise described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the largest of its kind in three decades.
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